Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.08.2015, Síða 38

Get
Me
To A
Glacier!
38 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 12 — 2015TRAVEL
How to get there: Take Route 1 to Hveragerði where you'll find a hiking path to Reykjadalur. Get back on Route 1 and
you'll eventually see Seljalandsfoss on your left. You shouldn't attempt to hike Sólheimajökull on your own, so just keep
driving until you reach Skógafoss, also on your left.
South
BOOK YOUR FLIGHT OR
DAY TOUR AT AIRICELAND.IS
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
ICELAND’S WESTFJORDS
ARE ONLY 40 MINUTES AWAY
Let’s fly
ÞÓRSHÖFN
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
GRÍMSEY
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
REYKJAVÍK
is
le
ns
ka
/s
ia
.is
F
LU
7
32
63
0
3/
15

Environmentalist convictions
One such reminder came by way of
Grapevine’s Travel Editor John, who
hooked me up with a group tour. The
“group” aspect made me a little ner-
vous at first. Maybe it’s an only child
thing, or maybe I’m just bad at making
friends, but I’ve never been great with
“group activities.” But, I can’t traverse
a glacier alone, so here I was with my
squad for the day: a smiley blond tour
guide named Tómas; a friendly Aus-
tralian couple adorably named Ollie
and Ellie (reallie!); our photographer
Art; and Linda, an eccentric little Swiss
lady in sunglasses who insisted we eat
have some of her “cakes” (her word for
cookies). I decided I liked her instantly.
After embarking from 101 Reykja-
vík, it didn’t take us long to reach our
first destination, the Hengill geothermal
area, where we were strongly greeted
by Iceland’s national scent: sulphur.
After bouncing our way down a gravel
road, we found ourselves suddenly
alone in strange terrain—vividly green
and eerie, filled with massive clouds
of steam emerging from giant gorges,
creeping over rolling hills. Climbing out
of the van, Linda lit a cigarette. “I am a
geyser, too!” she said, puffing away.
We began an easy hike to Reykjada-
lur (“Steam Valley”) and, fitting with the
morning’s theme, we went at a leisurely
pace. Linda walked alongside me, ex-
plaining that this was her first time in
Iceland. “It is a strong island,” she said.
“It touches me in my heart—such a mys-
tical place.” I looked around and tried to
experience the hike the same way she
did. I am in Iceland, I am in Iceland.
To be honest, Reykjadalur is hardly
off the beaten path. A short drive out of
the city, it’s recently morphed into your
typical tourist spot; however, when we
arrived at the hot springs, the area was
fairly empty and secluded. Ignoring the
fact that we were literally guided to
this spot, it felt as if we had just stum-
bled upon our own oasis—this wind-
ing stream that looked less like a river
and more like the earth had cracked
open, surrounded by a constant haze
of steam.
My primary concern, in typical
American style, was the lack of chang-
ing rooms. As I began scoping out the
area for a secluded hill to get naked be-
hind, Tómas pointed to four walls mak-
ing a cross shape and said, “You can
change there.” Uh… I paced around
for a few minutes, debating which spot
would be the most private (none, re-
Words Katie Steen
Photos Art Bicnick
It’s easy to get distracted by the routine of Reykjavík life.
Mine goes something like: intern, race to Bónus before it
closes, write, make a fool of myself at Paloma, eat take-
out in bed and feel like a sack of shit the next day… and
repeat. Which is to say: Every now and then, I need a re-
minder that I’m currently living on a little volcanic island on
the edge of a freezing ocean. Sometimes I just gotta plop
myself in some water heated by Earth’s mantle or stomp
around atop an ash-coated glacier to really refresh my
memory: I am in Iceland, I am in Iceland, I am in Iceland.
I really am.
Trip provided by Mountain Guides, book trip
at www.mountainguides.is or call +354-5879999